LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials hope a community program serving at-risk Latino boys in Lincoln provides them with a positive outlet that prevents them from joining gangs.

Joven Noble is grant-funded and one of several citywide programs working to identify children most susceptible to gang influence.

City officials say programs like Joven Noble can help shake the foothold gangs have in the area. Police have so far identified more than 30 gangs in Lincoln, with a total of 900 known members or associates.

The program is aimed at helping provide support for children between 10 and 18 and getting them to discuss problems they may have. Outside of weekly workshops, program officials say they’ll organize soccer games, help the boys with schoolwork and connect them with mentors.

FAIRBURY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say the body of an 86-year-old woman has been recovered from her flooded basement in southeast Nebraska.

Officials in Fairbury had ordered evacuations of much of the city on Thursday, following the overnight deluge locally and upstream. A Fairbury Fire Department crew couldn’t find Betty McMullen at her rural home when sent to evacuate her. Floodwater had surrounded the rural farm home, and her basement was full.

Jefferson County Sheriff Nels Sorensen says in a news release that rescue workers returned Friday to pump water from the basement. They soon found the body.

Authorities say the nearby Little Blue River is likely to drop below flood stage by Friday evening.

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The seniors at Arkansas (Ar-KAN’-suhs) City High School think the building will be unnecessary after the class of 2015 graduates.

As a senior prank, the seniors listed the Arkansas City High School building for sale on Craigslist. The ad says the class members don’t need the building anymore, but do need money for college.

It notes the school offers a lot of parking space — or even room for a buyer’s cattle, and whoever buys it might even learn something.

The ad lists a price of $2,015 but says all offers will be considered.

District spokeswoman Alisha Call gave the seniors credit for being clever, but says the building isn’t for sale. She says the district has asked Craigslist to remove the ad.

An arrest has been made in the missing person investigation and homicide of Jesus “Ismenia” Marinero.

On Thursday, May 7, 2015 at approximately 9:10 p.m., Roberto C. Martinez-Marinero, date of birth 4-16-90, walked into the Douglas County Department of Corrections where he advised staff that he was involved in the death of his mother, Ms. Marinero.

Martinez-Marinero was transported to Omaha Police Department Central Police Headquarters where he was interviewed by Homicide Detectives and subsequently booked for 1st Degree Murder and Use of a Deadly Weapon to Commit a Felony for the murder of Ms. Marinero. This investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed. At this point in the investigation, there are no other suspects being sought by the Omaha Police Department.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A 4-year-old western Iowa boy has been shot in the back of his neck and another child has been taken into protective custody.

Authorities say Q-Marion Jones has been taken in critical condition to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Police say the boy was shot around 5 p.m. Thursday at the Northgate Apartments in Council Bluffs. A hospital spokesman didn’t immediately return a message Friday from The Associated Press.

Police say another juvenile in the home at the time had access to a semi-automatic pistol, and the child was taken into protective custody. No arrests have been reported, and police haven’t said whether the shooting was accidental.

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — A Florida man and woman have pleaded not guilty to charges of leading police on a high-speed chase through three counties in Nebraska.

31-year-old Keri Ansley and 34-year-old Christopher White, both of Milton, Florida, entered their pleas on Thursday. They face charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

According to prosecutors, White and Ansley led law enforcement through Adams, Webster and Kearney counties for an hour and 20 minutes before running out of gas in March.

Authorities say the two suspects were found with about 2 pounds of methamphetamine, a firearm and multiple rounds of ammunition for different caliber firearms.

A jury trial has been set for July 27.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — The swollen Big Blue River in Beatrice has fallen nearly 1.5 feet since cresting overnight at more than a dozen feet above flood stage.

National Weather Service records showed Friday that the river rose to 30.1 feet, less than 3 feet from the record of 33 feet.

Floodwaters had closed U.S. Highways 77 and 136 into and out of the southeast Nebraska city. On Thursday workers at the Gage County Museum removed items as water approached the main building and storage facility. The museum sits barely a block east of the river.

Rain reports from the Wednesday-Thursday overnight storms ranged from 5 to more than 10 inches in southeast Nebraska. Gov. Pete Ricketts declared a state of emergency.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials say they’ve taken action to protect residents of two nursing homes run by an ailing Utah company.

The office of Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson says a judge in Brown County on Thursday placed Ainsworth Care Center into receivership with Klaasmeyer & Associates in Omaha. A judge in Burt County did the same with Logan Valley Manor in Lyons. Under receivership, Klaasmeyer & Associates will take over management and operation of both homes.

Peterson’s office sought the receiverships at the request of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Officials say both homes are owned by Deseret Health Group, headquartered in Bountiful, Utah. Peterson’s office says Deseret Health had told Nebraska officials that it was ceasing operations at the nursing homes and been unable to pay staffers.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A powerful and potentially harmful chemical compound has been found in synthetic marijuana tested in several states that saw a huge spike in the number of people hospitalized because of the drug last month.

Recent tests have turned up a synthetic cannabinoid that mimics the effects of the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Officials say it’s one of several cannabinoids that can cause severe health problems including seizures, elevated blood pressure and death.

Dr. Steven Marcus of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System has been monitoring the recent hospitalizations spike. He tells The Associated Press that the same compound has been found recently in synthetic marijuana seized in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other states.

DEWITT, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has declared a state of emergency in areas of Nebraska affected by tornadoes and flooding.

Authorities scrambled Thursday to evacuate as water from tributaries throughout the southeastern portion of the state rose in the wake of nearly a foot of rain.

The Saline County Sheriff’s Office asked DeWitt residents to go to the village hall, and further south, flooding in Jefferson County forced some evacuations.

Several highways and local roads in Lincoln and surrounding areas were closed because of runoff from overnight thunderstorms in southeast Nebraska.

The storm system also produced several tornadoes that swept parts of southeast and south-central Nebraska. Most were small and tore through farmland, though several homes were reported damaged around Grand Island, Roseland and Hebron.